Product Information

Release Date:

June 11, 2002

details

One of the earlier additions to Putumayo's children's line, Latin Playground alternates between catering to children through music specifically for them and enriching the album with works that happen to be playful but were not necessarily made with children in mind. While this one is a little less adult-friendly than some of the others in the line, it still has enough variety to last for a good series of inevitable replays at the hands of kids. The album runs around the Latin spectrum quite well, taking in Mayan-language music from Lila Downs as easily as Flaco Jimenez's brand of Tejano. American folk with a mild Mexican influence is here, as is some forro from Nazare Pereira. The breadth of styles is quite something, and though the explorations are not particularly deep, that is certainly not a major detraction for a kids' album. Some of the other albums in the Putumayo kids' line may have a little more depth, but this one isn't bad at all, and can draw from the label's considerable expertise in Latin music at the same time. Adam Greenberg, Rovi